TAGAB VALLEY, Afghanistan (AP) - Hundreds of Taliban fighters had massed just 100 kilometres north of the Afghan capital Kabul in an isolated valley, where militants trained suicide bombers who launched a deadly wave of attacks this fall.
Military officials feared a bloody winter campaign in Kabul, an extension of an unprecedented bombing rampage that's seen 115 suicide attacks across Afghanistan this year.
Good grief. Only an idjit would say they "feared" it. They "anticipated" it, perhaps, but no more than that. Were AP not despicably evil, they would be funny.
But the capital is now quiet. While the southern city Kandahar reels from a recent series of suicide attacks, Kabul hasn't seen such a bombing in over two months.
U.S. Special Forces said a little-publicized Afghan-U.S. operation in the Tagab Valley north of the city busted three suicide training compounds and scattered hundreds of Taliban fighters. "There was definitely the potential for Tagab to provide that launch board, if you will, for additional attacks," U.S. Army Special Forces Lt.-Col. Lynn Ashley said this week. "A threat to Bagram, a threat to Kabul," he said, referring to the main U.S. base in Afghanistan.
Continued on Page 49
#1
Military officials feared a bloody winter campaign in Kabul, an extension of an unprecedented bombing rampage that's seen 115 suicide attacks across Afghanistan this year.
#4
And the dreaded Afghan winter too! Don't forget that.
AP is on the other side.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
12/20/2006 9:32 Comments ||
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#5
.com-
Were AP not despicably evil, they would be funny.
Hey....that's catchy. :)
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
12/20/2006 10:39 Comments ||
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#6
It's interesting that, in MSM World, Afghanistan is the one place on earth not affected by global warming. The Arctic Ocean is gonna be warmer than bath water any day now, but we'll always dread the brutal Afghan winter.
Posted by: Matt ||
12/20/2006 11:26 Comments ||
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#9
Where did they scatter to? Local "housing", or are they (hopefully) left out in the cold of the Brutal Afghan Winter(TM)?
And next time, I hope they include more gory details of the bad guys getting it. Were they dispersed and got more dispersed? Or were they in one camp and they got scared an ran away with a bit of sniper fire? It sounds like there were several small camps and they got hounded until they all scattered.
HT Ace of Spades and originally caught via Political Pit Bull
Afghanistan says it has arrested a Pakistani intelligence agent who acted as a key link with al-Qaeda leaders. WTF? Perv said "no way!"
"No, no, certainly not!"
Presidential spokesman Karim Rahimi said the agent had been detained in eastern Kunar province carrying documents which proved his guilt. Extract all information, then apply a 3/8" Craftsman Cordless drill to his skull. Return him to the ISI as a drooling fool (their usual assistants)
Better to return him with a GPS locator in his head. And besides, the Craftsman Cordless doesn't have enough torque.
The news came a day after intelligence officials said an Afghan general had been arrested for spying for Pakistan. Afghanistan has long blamed Pakistan for cross-border attacks by the Taleban. Islamabad denies the charges.
"Lies! All lies!"
Mr Karimi named the man arrested as Sayed Akbar, who he said worked for Pakistan's controversial Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. "Some evidence and documents have been seized with him proving his destructive activities in Afghanistan," Mr Karimi told a news conference in the capital, Kabul. "his multiple false passports, above and beyond those normally carried by Pak 'tourists'"
... plus the dozen cell phones and three dozen garage door openers ...
Sayed Akbar comes from the Chitral region of northern Pakistan bordering the Afghan province of Nuristan, the spokesman said.
There's a lot of Pakistan that borders Afghanistan, and most of that's filled with rubes, jihadis and tenth-century no-accounts ...
The BBC's Payenda Sargand in Kabul says, according to the Afghan authorities, Mr Akbar was in charge of relations between the ISI and al-Qaeda leaders. Officials say he has confessed to his "illegal activities" in Afghanistan. These are said to include escorting Osama Bin Laden last year from Nuristan to Chitral. the big man hissownself? That'll cause a crimp in Perv's lie train...
On Monday, intelligence officials in Kabul said they had arrested an Afghan army general, Khair Mohammed, on charges of selling secrets to the ISI. kill him
But first, a little momba ...
Mr Rahimi told the news conference: "National security officials arrested a defence ministry general committing national treason, spying for foreigners, and he is under investigation."
Correspondents say it is not clear if the two arrests are linked. The defence ministry issued a statement saying that Khair Mohammed had not worked for it for almost four years. There has so far been no response from Pakistan to news of either arrest.
Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been tense for years, but have worsened during 2006 as violence in Afghanistan has soared. Last week, President Hamid Karzai publicly accused the Pakistani government of backing the Taleban and said it wanted to turn Afghans into "slaves".
Just want to return to the tenth century but that's close enough ...
Afghanistan says Taleban leaders plot most some of their attacks on Afghan targets from Pakistani soil.
Pakistan was once the Taleban's main sponsor, but after the September 2001 attacks in the United States Islamabad joined the US-led "war on terror". The Pakistani government denies it continues to support the militants or that it could do more to stop them crossing the porous border, and points to the deaths of hundreds of Pakistani troops fighting pro-Taleban militants in the country's tribal areas.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/20/2006 00:00 ||
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We're really "powerful" as all get-out and we're almost ready 'n stuff. Just about. We're getting there. We'll be attacking purdy soon, now. That expired deadline was the Call to Allan for the infidels. They failed to heed it so we're just waiting for Allan to show up and give us a glorious victory thingy. Almost there. Just about. Purt' near. The earth will, like, quake beneath 'em. No really. You just wait 'n see. Here it comes. Don't blink or you'll miss it.
AFP, MOGADISHU
Wednesday, Dec 20, 2006 - Somalia's powerful Islamists said yesterday that they were finalizing plans to fight Ethiopian forces deployed in the lawless country as a seven-day ultimatum for Addis Ababa to pull out its troops was due to expire.
But as Islamic fighters and government troops, backed by Ethiopian forces, girded for an all-out war, the Islamists said they might not attack immediately.
"The decision to attack the Ethiopians was already reached, but we are now in the last stages of preparing for the full-scale war," top Islamic commander Mohamed Ibrahim Bilal said.
"I cannot say we will start fighting today or tomorrow, but we expect a heavy war as long as Ethiopians stay inside our territory."
Mohamed Ibrahim Bilal, top Somalian Islamic commander
"I cannot say we will start fighting today or tomorrow, but we expect a heavy war as long as Ethiopians stay inside our territory," added Bilal, who commands Islamic fighters in frontlines near the the the government seat in Baidoa, about 250km northwest of the capital Mogadishu.
"I have heard about people saying the Islamic courts have halted their plan for jihad, this is baseless statement, we shall never renege on our promise to fight Ethiopian invaders," he said.
#3
5th Special Forces Group still in Iraq? 3rd (or other) 're-tasked'? (Obviously anyone who knows had best not be saying.)
Is the extra carrier group in the Indian Ocean really going into the Persian Gulf? Or the next sea to the south?
Similar situation to Afghanistan, but without the Pakistani complications. Similar approach to resolution?
Since 2003, more than 200,000 people have been killed and another 2 million forced from their homes in Darfur, an area in western Sudan that is over two-thirds the size of Texas. With the backing of the Sudanese government, Arab militias known as the Janjaweed have subjected black Africans to a systematic campaign of rape, murder and displacement. Daily News reporter Rich Schapiro and photographer Robert Sabo went to Darfur and neighboring Chad to get a firsthand look at the escalating disaster.
GOZ BEIDA, Chad - Before we saw them, we had been driving for three long hours along a narrow path past rocks and thorn trees.
And then, there they were: plumes of smoke billowing high in the air from a village only 2 miles away. We knew it was the work of the Janjaweed, the Arab militiamen who travel atop horses and camels. They are known in this rapidly unraveling region in central Africa as "devils on horseback."
Continued on Page 49
BAIDOA, Somalia - Forces loyal to Somalias powerful Islamists clashed on Wednesday with government troops backed by Ethiopian forces, two hours after a deadline expired for Addis Ababa to withdraw its troops or face major attacks. The clashes occurred at the Idale trading post, about 60 km south of the seat of government in Baidoa, located 250 km northwest of the capital Mogadishu.
Islamic forces have clashed with the government troops in the Idale region, said Mohamed Abdullahi, resident of the region told AFP. There have been casualties, but I cannot say how many, he added.
Officials in the defence ministry confirmed the clashes in the southern region, but could not provide a casualty figure. "There have been clashes in Idale, said the official in the defence ministry.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/20/2006 00:00 ||
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A former ward heeler commissioner died at General Hospital here on Monday night, 13 hours after his arrest by Rab personnel. "He's dead, Jim!"
Rab sources said Zahidul Islam Zahid, 35, former ward heeler commissioner of Kushtia municipality, had links with an underground outfit. He sustained injuries in the chest and legs as he tried to flee during his arrest, they added. He was taken to Kushtia General Hospital where he died at about 11:45pm. "Dr. Quincy! Pick up the white courtesy phone!"
Zahid's family claimed that he died due to inhumane torture in Rab custody. Rab officials denied the allegation. "Nah. It wudn't inhumane."
Rab arrested Zahid during a raid in Badhpara-Charmilpara area of the town at 11:00am on Monday. The law enforcers later interrogated him at their camp. "Take him to the... interrogation room!"
"Sir! Not the... interrogation room!"
After his arrest, over a thousand people demonstrated in the town demanding immediate release of the ex-ward commissioner. They also submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner in this regard. "Memorandum for you, sir!"
"Oh, yeah? Who's it from?"
"Those thousand people rioting outside."
RAB said Zahid was handed over to Kushtia Sadar police in the evening. Police later produced him before a court, which sent him to jail. Police said Zahid was an accused in seven cases including three for murder. A court had also sentenced him to 10 years' imprisonment in one of the cases. "Ten years! Next case!"
"The calaboose ain't been built as can hold me!"
"Bailiff! Turn him over to the Rab!"
"Ummm... No. Wait. Really. There's lotsa jails as could hold me..."
Meanwhile, Kushtia district administration has formed a one-member committee to investigate the incident. "Haniful, you can be the investigating committee!"
"Hokay, Chief!"
"Send your pliers out to be cleaned. And wash up. You've got... stuff on you."
"Necessary steps will be taken after submission of the probe report," Deputy Commissioner Talukder Shamsur Rahman told journalists.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2006 00:00 ||
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"What kind of steps?"
"These steps ... down to the .. interrogation room."
"Not ... those steps!"
"Yes, those steps. Careful, don't slip, you wouldn't want to hurt yourself."
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/20/2006 0:32 Comments ||
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QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) -- A bomb rigged to a bicycle exploded Wednesday in the southwestern Pakistan city of Quetta, wounding seven people, police said.
The explosion near a police station in a market street also shattered windows in adjacent shops and buildings, said Khizar Hayat, a police official in Quetta, the capital of southwestern Baluchistan province. No police were injured, he said. The wounded included shop owners, passers-by and shoppers, Hayat said. A 50-year-old man passing near the blast was seriously hurt and taken to Quetta's main state-run hospital, Hayat said. Mohammed Ashraf, 19, was also caught in the explosion, his legs cut by shrapnel. "Everyone started running all over the place," Ashraf said from his hospital bed. "I fell to the ground and could not get up."
No one claimed responsibility for the blast. Authorities blame rebel Baluch tribesmen for bombings and rocket attacks targeting railroads, security forces, gas fields and gas pipelines in the province. Last month, a car bomb near Quetta's police headquarters killed two policemen and a suspected bomber. Four other people were wounded. Rebel tribesmen are suspected to have launched a violent campaign to press demands for the central government to give greater provincial autonomy to Baluchistan and increase royalties for resources extracted in their territories.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- U.S.-led forces captured a senior al-Qaida leader who was responsible for hundreds of civilian deaths and housed foreign fighters who carried out suicide bombings, the U.S. military said Wednesday. Rest at link.
From Roooters (so who knows if it's true). But I'm adding the accordion lady pic so that we're entertained while we wait:
The military said the "terrorist leader," whom they did not identify, was captured on December 14 in the northern city of Mosul in a raid which also netted five other suspects. "The terrorist leader was captured when Coalition Forces raided a known terrorist meeting place. (He) was attempting to flee from the location when Coalition Forces chased him across a street and detained him," it said in a statement.
"He was personally responsible for hundreds of civilian deaths, including women and children. He housed foreign fighters to be used in suicide bombing attacks against the Coalition and the Iraqi people."
The military statement said the al Qaeda suspect had been in charge of the Sunni Islamist group's military operations in Mosul and the Iraqi capital, during which time he had coordinated car bomb attacks and kidnappings for ransom.
BAGHDAD, Iraq Coalition Forces captured a senior al-Qaida leader and five suspected terrorists during a raid in Mosul Dec. 14.
The terrorist leader was captured when Coalition Forces raided a known terrorist meeting place. The terrorist leader was attempting to flee from the location when Coalition Forces chased him across a street and detained him.
As the Military Emir of Mosul in 2005, he was personally responsible for hundreds of civilian deaths, to include women and children. He housed foreign fighters to be used in suicide bombing attacks against the Coalition and the Iraqi people.
After leaving Mosul in late 2005, he became the Military Emir of Karkh, Baghdad. During that time, he coordinated vehicle borne improvised explosives device attacks and kidnap for ransom operations in Baghdad. He also reportedly organized an attempted shoot down of a Coalition Forces helicopter in an Ad'hamiyah neighborhood in May 2006.
After a few months he fled Baghdad due to Coalition Forces closing in on him. Just prior to his capture, he was attempting to organize what is left of the al-Qaida in Iraq network in Mosul after numerous terrorists were captured by Coalition Forces.
At one point, a small group of officers wearing dark green T-shirts stepped forward with a live rabbit and tore it to pieces. The leader chomped out the heart with a yell, then passed around the blood-soaked remains to his comrades, each of whom took a bite. The group also bit the heads off frogs.
BAGHDAD Shaky beginnings in Baghdads south central al Doura neighborhood are starting to shape up, as Cavalry Soldiers work with Iraqi National Police to calm tensions between a divided populous. Task Force 1-14 is one of many units from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division making the neighborhood a safer place to live. They work hand-in-hand with companies from 1st Battalion, 6th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, and have done so since August.
"It's taken a lot of work and a lot of effort to get to where we are now," Peterson said. "It was very rocky when we first showed up. We had to build our relationship," said Lt. Col. Jeff Peterson, commander of TF 1-14. Peterson said joint missions with the policemen for nearly six months included patrolling the streets, cordon and search operations and raids. The team work is paying off now, Peterson said.
"Over time, we just keep getting better and better and more efficient, he said. There's been a marked improvement in the last month." Most recently, the troops and police conducted Operation Achilles Dec. 10. Peterson called it a parallel approach to the ongoing struggle between the anti-Iraq forces and Coalition Forces.
"It (Operation Achilles) was unique," he said. "(In) the first phase of the mission, we developed some of our own targets, so we did a unilateral operation to conduct raids. Subsequent to that, the NP came and did a medium-scale clearing operation which they planned and organized." Peterson's troops came into the operation with specific objectives in mind. They were after several high-value targets wanted in connection to ongoing sectarian violence.
The policemen had different objectives. They received information on a weapons cache inside one of the local mosques. The police raided the mosque and found exactly what they were after: several electronic, roadside bomb initiators, pipe bombs, plastic explosives and assault rifles.
Peterson said that the company of police he worked alongside during the operation was some of the best he's worked with since his unit began these operations. "Maj. Hayder is one of the stronger leaders in the battalion," he said. Along with the cache, police found several of the men they were after.
The mission was over. Weapons were taken off the street, and the Iraqi National Police showed how valuable they are to the community. Peterson said it was a very successful joint mission with the police alongside his team.
"When they partner with us, I think they do very well. They searched houses thoroughly. They were on time, in uniform ready to go. They interacted with the Iraqi populous in a professional manner. They were respectful of the property as they went through the home. They were respectful of the families. I thought it was a very successful operation," Peterson said.
He explained how important it was to have the Iraqis in the lead during missions like Achilles. "With these operations it is very important to find caches, terrorists and detain them, but just as important is that the NP develop their relationship with the Iraqi people," he said. "They need to prove that they are trustworthy, professional and that they will conduct themselves in a professional manner."
The partnership between the Iraqi National Police and Coalition troops is a key to securing a peaceful future for the Iraqi people, Peterson said. "It's been a long time and a lot of work, but right now it's all about partnership moving toward transition, he said. I think the partnership is the critical piece of getting the situation in Iraq to where it needs to be so Coalition Forces can depart. It's just going to take some time and commitment."
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/20/2006 06:40 ||
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They received information on a weapons cache inside one of the local mosques. The police raided the mosque and found exactly what they were after: several electronic, roadside bomb initiators, pipe bombs, plastic explosives and assault rifles.
Huh. The attic at our church doesn't have any of that stuff. Inexplicably, there's a big ol' Oscar statue... but no rifles.
#2
"The police raided the mosque and found exactly what they were after: several electronic, roadside bomb initiators, pipe bombs, plastic explosives and assault rifles.....Along with the cache, police found several of the men they were after."
This is so obvious that it is extremely painful. Why are we not going directly into these so-called moskks? They are consistently used for military operations and often used as direct firing points on our troops. Any found being used for military oeprations should be leveled. No talking. The imam should be executed immediately. No talking. These places should be searched every few days, unannounced. Stop this PC bullshit. Get serious or get out.
#3
Why are we not going directly into these so-called moskks?
Ain't gonna happen until the Religion of Peace [spit] meme is finally dispensed with. The West must wipe away all notions of Islam and religion having anything to do with each other. Until that time, nothing will change.
[MENL] -- The U.S. Army has achieved mixed results with an advanced system meant to detect improvised explosive devices. Officials said army units have not resolved the IED threat with the use of the Common Remotely Operated Weapons System. CROWS, which replaces the turret gunner on the Humvee combat vehicle, enables crews to engage targets viewed on a computer screen without being exposed to IEDs and small-arms fire.
CROWS contains daytime and thermal sights, the latter which detects heat signature at a range of more than one kilometer. This has enabled patrols to cover wide areas in the search for IEDs. Officials said CROWS has been used to help detect IEDs at night. Most anti-IED operations take place before sunrise.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2006 00:00 ||
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This is a classic case of the reporter not knowing what he is talking about. CROWS is simply a method of operating a top mounted remotely. It has no special equipment for detecting IEDs. As such, it is of more use in protecting the operator from sniper fire than IEDs.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
12/20/2006 10:46 Comments ||
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Al, the thermal camera on the CROWS (Recon Optical Rave) or Protector (Kongsberg system that is on the Stryker vehicle) can help identify an IED in special cases. The metal jacket on the shells often used for IED's will retain their heat longer than the surrounding soil in which they are buried, at least for a period of time after dusk. Likewise they will be cooler for a period of time in morning.
But you are right in saying this is not the primary benefit of a remote weapon station. Yes, the reporter does not know what he/she is talking about. Wotta surprise.
#3
Um, didn't read the story, but the headline makes it sound like negligence. If the IDF has orders to stand by, that's what they do. The problem is with the civilian leadership.
And not just the Israelis; it's a problem throughout the West.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
12/20/2006 14:58 Comments ||
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#7
Subtitle: Olmert's new rules of engagement restrains army from taking defensive actions
Paragraph 1:
The Israeli Defense Forces today spotted several Palestinian militants launching rockets from the Gaza Strip into nearby Jewish cities but were unable to take any defensive measures due to restrictions imposed by the government, WND has learned.
Near the middle:
"We are frustrated just watching the rocket launchers being set up. There is nothing we are allowed to do," said a military source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to media.
"So far we've been lucky, but soon one of the rockets will kill someone and then questions should be asked about why we weren't allowed to do anything," the source said.
a bit later:
The IDF has been petitioning for a large-scale assault in Gaza.
The officials said that according to IDF assessments, the best options to stop the daily rocket fire from Gaza into nearby Jewish communities and to halt the regular smuggling of weapons from neighboring Egypt include drafted plans to retake parts of Gaza.
#10
I wonder how many Israeli's civilians have to die before Olmert decides to do something.....
Olmert is a coward, his fear and revulsion of using violence has paralyzed him. He will hide in his office wringing his hands until someone drags him out and takes over.
Possibly, the Israeli people may have been ground down to nothing. They are desperately trying to avoid reaching the only conclusion left to them. They will slide into the dust bin of history as a result. The same is happening in Europe, and will most likely happen here.
#13
How long do you think we would tolerate Mexicans firing rockets into a Southern Texas City and claiming to have a right of return? Not for a heartbeat, especially if it was Texas.
#14
Hell TS7597, if if was Texas then Texas would have invaded at after the first barage.
Posted by: Charles ||
12/20/2006 19:49 Comments ||
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#15
If they manage to hit Olmert, only one.
Bingo. Aside from outright surrender, there are few better ways of encouraging terrorists than to let their offenses go unpunished. That is how 9-11 happened.
#16
Israel = USA > needs another Gubmint bureaucracy(s) to solve a problem by not solving it, plus ala RUSSIA to re-direct any and all economic flows to its enemies so that PC Tel Aviv pols will be = have their own justification to [pre-]surrender to Radical Islam = Russia-China/SCO.
#17
Aggressive Muslims are killing "disbelievers" everywhere and, rather than fighting back at least proportionately, we are sending billions of dollars in nation-building subsidies to our mortal enemy.
Common sense has little or no currency among the majority in the Free World. That is why we continue to blunder into catastrophe after catastrophe.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) -- Hamas gunmen killed two Palestinian policemen loyal to the rival Fatah movement early Wednesday, hours after the sides agreed to a new cease-fire meant to end more than a week of factional fighting. Well now that worked out swell as usual.
Fatah officials condemned the killing but said they remained committed to the truce, and Gaza City remained largely calm at midday - a dramatic contrast to the pitched battles that raged in city streets a day earlier. However, hundreds of people went on a violent rampage at the policemen's funeral, raising the prospect of renewed fighting.
Fatah spokesman Tawfiq Abu Khoussa said the policeman, cousins in their early 20s, were killed when their vehicle was attacked during an overnight patrol. Six other people in their car were wounded, he said."They came under fire from an ambush of masked gunmen affiliated with Hamas," Abu Khoussa said. He said Fatah considered the shooting a violation of the cease-fire, but would still honor the truce, announced just before midnight by President Mahmoud Abbas.
Hamas' Web site described the fatal shooting as "an intense gunbattle ... between Fatah and the (Hamas) executive unit." It said "the identity and the affiliation of the people killed is still unknown." You know how it is when you see a rig stuffed with eight people you dont ask their names you just start blastin!
About 300 people attended the officers' funeral Wednesday. Many of the men were armed, shooting in the air and calling for revenge.
That's Dire Revenge!
Hmmm one wonders if those folks also remained committed to the truce.
#4
I prefer the following: have Hamas people armed with RPGs, have Fath people armaed with RPGs. Both of the BIG blast variety. Put them in the opposite corner of a room 10 square yards room and let the festivities begin.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/20/2006 13:09 Comments ||
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#9
The Israelis should use the "Fistful of Dollars" strategy here. That is, to figure out which is the weaker of the two sides, and weaken them further, thus exacerbating the imbalance of power.
Since Hamas is stronger in Gaza, the Israelis should do a covert hit on Fatah, a real massacre in which about 10-15 of their pistolleros are gunned down, and made to look like a Hamas hit.
Then, since Fatah is stronger in the West Bank, put a hit on a bunch of Hamas loyalists, making it look like Fatah did it.
Ideally, they end up as two separate governments that hate each other. This would upset the apple cart from several different directions, not just dividing the Paleos, but dividing their supporters like Europe. Raising the price of sponsoring terror.
From that point, Israel could play them off against each other.
#10
Anonymoose - Israel doesn't have to do anything, the paleos quite capable (and in the midst) of doing that themselves. Let them all kill each other off. It'll end one drain on US "foreign aid".
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/20/2006 15:18 Comments ||
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#11
Good idea 'Moose, go for it.
/In the bus station with the other suitcase.
Posted by: Jimmy ||
12/20/2006 18:01 Comments ||
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Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Tuesday called for an end to Palestinian infighting and urged warring factions to unite in the struggle against Israel.
"The Joos! The Joos! Yer s'posed to be killing the Joos!"
"Youse knuckleheads! I gotta show youse every'ting 'round here?"
"This nation, this people will be united in front of the occupation and aggression and will not be engaged, despite the wounds of the past few days, in internal fighting," Haniyeh said in a televised speech.
Sure, big guy. In fact you should be out in the middle of it all, telling them to stop...
JERUSALEM, Dec. 19 Street battles between rival Palestinian factions, including a shootout on the grounds of Gaza Citys main hospital, continued Tuesday, leaving at least five people dead and nearly 20 wounded.
After another chaotic day in the Gaza Strip, security chiefs from the feuding groups, Hamas and Fatah, said Tuesday night that they had reached a new agreement to remove gunmen from the streets. But it is not clear whether that deal will be more successful than a cease-fire announced Sunday night.
The Sunday night cease-fire did nothing to halt the bloodletting in Gaza, which has included some of the worst internal fighting since the Palestinian Authority was established in 1994.
But in a renewed effort, Egyptian diplomats on Tuesday brought together the Palestinian interior minister, Said Siam of Hamas, and the heads of the Palestinian security forces in Gaza City, most of whom are from Fatah.
The Palestinians agreed that the factions would remove their gunmen from the streets and that the multiple security force branches would establish a joint operating center.
Continued on Page 49
An IDF elite unit, in cooperation with the Shin Bet, arrested on Tuesday evening a Tanzim operative in Bethlehem who was involved in shooting attacks against Israelis. The fugitive, Naif Aviat, was involved in, among other incidents, the shooting near Tekoa in February 2000 in which two Israelis were killed and a third seriously wounded.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2006 00:00 ||
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Nevermind me. Just trying to reset cookies. The O-Club didn't do it for some reason....
Hamas's exiled leader Khaled Mashaal said the only road to peace runs through Hamas and, in comments to an Italian newspaper, disparaged Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for having no influence.
Mashaal's remarks were published in Corriere della Sera on Monday, hours before British Prime Minister Tony Blair praised Abbas during a visit to Ramallah in the West Bank amid renewed factional violence.
"With regards to [Abbas], didn't you realize yet that he counts for nothing?" Mashaal told Corriere. "Nothing when he was Arafat's Number Two, and nothing when he was premier in 2005. Why should he be supported by Europe now? Remember, the only way to peace runs through Hamas."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2006 00:00 ||
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Remember, the only way to peace runs through Hamas.
#9
Not fair! Here I am, quietly recovering my strength after actually cooking a nice dinner for the family and adopted Grandma Lois, when all of a sudden I have to fight not to fall off my chair, I'm laughing so hard. Only at Rantburg do the savants argue over which imaginary tracked thingy gets to clank across our screens!!
The Shin Bet announced on Tuesday that two months ago, it had busted a Hamas terror cell operating in the West Bank. According to the Shin Bet, the cell was working in conjunction with Hamas operatives in the Gaza Strip to kidnap and attack Israelis. The Shin Bet also confiscated a variety of weapons and ammunition that had been in the group's possession.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2006 00:00 ||
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A Lebanese man was killed and two others were wounded in southern Lebanon late Tuesday when a land mine left over from the summer's Lebanon war exploded, the official National News Agency reported.
It said the victim, identified as Ali Milhem, and the wounded, Youssef Khazem Msheik and Kassem Mohammed Murtada, were taken to hospital in the southern market town of Nabatiyeh. It was not immediately clear what caused the land mine to explode - whether the men stepped on it or were handling with it.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2006 00:00 ||
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#9
I'd invite Sylvia to come keep me warm, but she couldn't get here. Definitely not WOT, but CoS is in the midst of blizzard conditions, and apparently will remain that way for the next 24 hours.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/20/2006 14:55 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
TAGAB VALLEY, Afghanistan (AP) - Hundreds of Taliban fighters had massed just 100 kilometres north of the Afghan capital Kabul in an isolated valley, where militants trained suicide bombers who launched a deadly wave of attacks this fall. 
BAIDOA, Somalia - Forces loyal to Somalias powerful Islamists clashed on Wednesday with government troops backed by Ethiopian forces, two hours after a deadline expired for Addis Ababa to withdraw its troops or face major attacks. The clashes occurred at the Idale trading post, about 60 km south of the seat of government in Baidoa, located 250 km northwest of the capital Mogadishu.
A former ward 
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) -- A bomb rigged to a bicycle exploded Wednesday in the southwestern Pakistan city of Quetta, wounding seven people, police said.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- U.S.-led forces captured a senior al-Qaida leader who was responsible for hundreds of civilian deaths and housed foreign fighters who carried out suicide bombings, the U.S. military said Wednesday.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) -- Hamas gunmen killed two Palestinian policemen loyal to the rival Fatah movement early Wednesday, hours after the sides agreed to a new cease-fire meant to end more than a week of factional fighting. 
Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Tuesday called for an end to Palestinian infighting and urged warring factions to unite in the struggle against Israel.
JERUSALEM, Dec. 19 Street battles between rival Palestinian factions, including a shootout on the grounds of Gaza Citys main hospital, continued Tuesday, leaving at least five people dead and nearly 20 wounded.
A Palestinian judge with ties to Fatah was shot and moderately wounded Tuesday evening in Nablus by Hamas-affiliated gunmen.
An IDF elite unit, in cooperation with the Shin Bet, arrested on Tuesday evening a Tanzim operative in Bethlehem who was involved in shooting attacks against Israelis. The fugitive, Naif Aviat, was involved in, among other incidents, the shooting near Tekoa in February 2000 in which two Israelis were killed and a third seriously wounded.
Hamas's exiled leader Khaled Mashaal said the only road to peace runs through Hamas and, in comments to an Italian newspaper, disparaged Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for having no influence. 
A Lebanese man was killed and two others were wounded in southern Lebanon late Tuesday when a land mine left over from the summer's Lebanon war exploded, the official National News Agency reported. 
